Explosive.



when ,siraras rx'rnnr @FEECE JAMES E OIBRIEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXPLOSIVE.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James F. OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, 1n the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented 'certain new and useful Improvements-in Explosives, of which the fob lowing is a specification. r

This invention relates to an explosive of an alkali metal, a carbo-hydrate, and a silico-alumlnous material; and the invention herein descrlbed consists particularly in the use of cereal flour or similar substance for a portion or all of the carbohydrates; and it further consists in certain other minor combinations which will be set forth.

I have found by repeated experiment that the combination of a chlorate, a carbo-hydrate and asilico-aluminous material, suchas brick dust, cement or the like, produces 1 results heretofore unattainable by a chlorate explosive. It. would appear that, prior to my discovery of this general combination, great difiiculty was experienced in the handling and use of chlorate explosives on account of their great instability; and my combination of a silico-aluminous material therewith not only obviated the difficulties formerly encountered but also made a newexplosiv'e ofgreat eificiency. Further experimentation has shown that the presence of a silico-aluminous material ire the explosive compoundhas enabled me to use such substances as cereal flour to furnish part or all of the carbo-hydrates in the combination.

.Heretofore it has been generally considered,

and it is so stated in numerous authorities, that the presence of the-nitrogenous compounds in cereal flourfwas-detrimental to eflicient action of a chlorate explosive; but the inclusion of my silico-aluminous material has overcome all objectionsto this form ofcarbo-hydrates, and I am enabled to form an explosive compound having all of the;

advantages of chlorate explosives and having the advantage of cheapness. due to the the'ex'plosive a combination in which pure.

useof carbo-hydrate in the form of the starch contained ina cereal flour. v

The cereal flour may-be used to supply all or apart of the necessary carbohydrate; and I will describe as a preferred form of 'carbo-hyd'rate in the form of a starch and carbo-hydrate carried by cereal flour are both need. And I will explain another ad Specification of Letters Patent. 7

. ergy' of i the powder.

Patented June it 1912.

I Application filed February 19,1912. Serial No. 678,708.

vantage accruing from the use of the cereal flour, with its other constituents besides starch, which advantage I obtain. in the highest degree by this specific form of explosive.

In my preferred form of explosive I may use the following ingredients in approxi- I mately the proportions by weight indicated:

myv general class containing a chlorate of Potassium chlorate parts The figure for the flour will/vary. somewhat with the character of the flour used, the essential requirement being that the free starch and the carbo-hydrate in the flour shall equalapproximately one-third by weight'of the chlorate; 'Also, withflours of different characters, the proportion of free starch and of starch contained in the flour 7 would vary somewhat to obtain the best results. It is possible to entirely omit the free starch. v

In the preparation of this explosive the ingredients are simply mixed together by hand or in a suitable machine, suliicient water being added to form the ingredients into a workable mass. And here is where one of the advantages of the flour is conspicuous. -The ingredients of the flour other than carbo-hydrates assist greatly in taking up the necessary water and in amalgamating'all of the ingredients into a homogeneous mass; so much so; that the explosive so constituted becomes extremely simple of manufacture.

When my new. explosive is detonated, the nitrogenous compounds of the flour do not deteriorate the action vby chemicalre-actions which are foreign to the main andfundamental re-actions of combustion. The presence of the silico-aluminous material, in the specific preferred form of brlck'dust, causes such re-actions of this nitrogenous material which add materially to the explosive en- It will thus be seen that I' have at once formed a combination -which-isvvery cheaply'and easily manufac turedof inexpensive lngredients and which delivers great energy upon explosion. W1th this compound I am enabled to obtain explosive energy directly comparable with the explosive energy'of dynamite; and my exandJI may use other silico-a luminous mate-1 either with chlorate,

as described, and the introduction of the lamp black, or

plosive has a majority if not all of the ad-' vantages possessed by much more expensive powders now in use.

My explosive, made as above described, flour and brick dust or in the specific manner set forth in tabulated form, is'free'from all liability to deterioration; and ,it cannot be detonated by any agency unless it'js confined, and then only by a flame or combination of flame and shock. The plosive' compound maybe reatly varied;

rials. But I have found that the calcined clay of brick dust, when finely divided, is ve efiicient in my explosive. The lamp black cited in the above'formula is used primarily as a coating for the finished granules of. powderI The powder is first mixed then granulated and dried;

7 other similar form of carbon, lubricates and 3. 'Anexplosive, comprising a chlorate of percentage of brick dustin the exaln alkali metal, wheat flour, and burned c ay.

at. An explosive, comprising potassium chlorate, wheat flour, and burned clay.

5. An explosive, comprising potassium chlorate, wheat flour, starch, and burned clay.

6. an alkali metal, a cereal flour, a silico-aluminous material.

7. An explosive, comprising potassium a starch, and

chlorate, a cereal flour and starch insuch proportions that. the free starch and that of the cereal flour combined are a proximately one third by weight of the chlbrataand a silico-aluminous material. I

An explosive, comprising a chlorate of 8. An explosive, comprising potassium,

chlorate, a cereal flour and starch in .such proportions that the free starch and that of the cereal flour combined are approximately one third by weight of the chlorate, and burned clay.

9. ,An explosive, ccmprising chlorate, a cereal flour and starci in such proportions that the free starch and that of the cereal flour combined are approximately one third by weight of the chlorate, burned clay, and a small amount of lamp black.

In witness that I claim -the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of February 1912.

. JAMES F. OBRIEN. \Vitnesses:

J AS. H. BALLAGH, JAMES T. BARxELEiy.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

otassium 

